With the increase of gambling at gaming venues has come increased competition between gaming venues to obtain a larger share of the total gambling spend. Gaming venue operators have therefore continuously looked for new variations and types of games in order to attract both new and return customers to their venues.
In response to this need, suppliers of gaming devices and systems have attempted to provide the sought after variety, while still developing games that comply with the relevant regulations in the jurisdiction of the gaming venue operator. Suppliers of gaming devices therefore are faced with restrictions on the types of games and gaming apparatus that are allowable, both in terms of the prevailing regulations and in terms of providing a return on investment to the gaming venue operators.
In addition, it is important that a player be able to understand the operation of a game quickly so that the player promptly feels that they are in control of game play and can therefore extract maximum entertainment from the game.
Gaming apparatus and gaming systems are known which have player tracking systems. Some player tracking systems are configured to allow players to identify themselves by entering an alphanumeric password (and sometimes a username), either alone or in order to authenticate a player identification token, to establish the player's identity. For instance, in some gaming systems a player can establish and operate a financial account from which wagers are made or credits transferred to a gaming apparatus. These systems are typically configured such that a player must enter a password to prove that the player is indeed who the player claims to be, prior to allowing access to the player's financial account.
In another example, a password may be used by a player to lock a apparatus that he or she is playing during a period in which the apparatus is unattended, for example during a toilet or smoking break. On return to the apparatus the player uses his or her password or PIN to “unlock” the gaming apparatus.
It has been found that, for convenience, players often choose short passwords or passwords that are easy for them to remember, such as their name, the name of a family member, or simply the word “password”. As a result of players' desire for convenient, easy to remember passwords, password authentication methods can be defeated relatively easily, either by trial and error or guesswork.
Any reference in this specification to the prior art does not constitute an admission that such prior art was well known or forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction.